Reporters informed some players and others stared at the flat-screen televisions as the verdict was analyzed on sports shows. At least publicly, Angels players supported the jury's decision to find Clemens not guilty of perjury and other charges related to his testimony before Congress about performance-enhancing drugs.

“He had a great career and you never want to see anybody have to go through something like that,” Angels ace Jered Weaver said. “It’s great to see that he was telling the truth. There were a lot of kids, including myself, that looked up to him and his career, so for everything to come out unscathed is awesome for him.”

With Clemens, Barry Bonds, Mike Piazza, Sammy Sosa and other suspected PED users—whether rightfully suspected or otherwise—coming up soon for Hall of Fame consideration, the topic of voting for those players was broached.

It’s a touchy subject for players and reporters alike—the Baseball Writers Association of America is asked to elect players to the Hall of Fame each year. History tells us that the writers will likely not give suspected players the necessary 75 percent of the vote to be inducted. Jeff Bagwell and Mark McGwire, who have Hall-worthy resumes, have fallen short each year they’ve been on the ballot.

While writers have proven to this point to be the unforgiving gatekeepers for Cooperstown, players understandably have a more forgiving outlook. In fact, highly respected Angels outfielder Torii Hunter dubbed the so-called Steroid Era the “Forgiveness Era.”

“We should forgive because we all make mistakes,” Hunter said. “Forgiveness is a sign of the strong. If you don’t forgive, you’re weak. How about that?”

As a member of the BBWAA, I have been asked many times about how I will use my Hall of Fame vote when it comes to Clemens, Bonds and the others who have been suspected of doping. I don’t yet have a vote, because I have not yet been a member for the required 10 years, so I still have time to decide.

While the BBWAA is asked to play judge and jury for some of these players during the Steroid Era, it is difficult and unfair for me to single out a player for his body type or production at a certain age while not suspecting another player from the era even though he might have all the same credentials. Also, it is unfair for me to say one player was on something illegal while another wasn’t when neither failed a drug test.

Obviously, some players have more circumstantial evidence against them than others. That is understood, but I can’t see the logic in saying Bagwell should be suspected because he has huge forearms and legs, but someone like Derek Jeter shouldn’t be because he is relatively small (6-3, 195 pounds) and didn’t hit a lot of home runs. That isn’t to say either player took anything illegal during their careers. For me, PED use wasn’t about getting huge; it was about being able to play at the highest level possible every single day. You don’t need to have a ripped body to achieve that goal through PEDs.

The court of public opinion will, and in some cases already has, handed down verdicts, and that is perfectly fine and within the rights of society. But before the BBWAA decides to leave out almost an entire era of players it suspects of cheating, let’s just remember that there are worse, more despicable humans in the Hall of Fame than some guys who might have taken PEDs to perform better on the field.